Bass Recording, How do You do it???

So, just wanting to know if the concensus was to go direct recording bass. We have recorded it both ways mic'd, and direct with varying success. I use the Omega and it has a direct line in on the front that it says is specially for guitars and basses. We have been using the cheap Behringer preamp, and the bass player complained about his tone, so the last time we went straight into the Omega input and he really liked that better.

I'm just getting going on my own recording efforts but have recorded a good bit on other people's projects.

The conventional wisdom for bass (it seems) was to always go direct. I NEVER liked the tone.

Recently, I played bass on 10 or 12 tracks for a friends last project & we ran direct as well as using my amp & I was finally happy with the sound. He has since taken the tracks to a large studio for mixing & mastering, but I haven't heard them yet, but I expect they'll sound even better.

Set-up as follows;
A '76 Stingray, running to a Radial DI split to an M-box (ProTools LE) & to an Ampeg SVT III w/1-15" TL606 cab, miked with a 57, on axis, halfway from the center of the cone to the edge, about 8" away.

I've used an ART Tube MP preamp (sounds okay) and a Yamaha Magic Stomp amp modeler (I think I like it better). I'm gonna try mic-ing my amp rig too, after I get the studio finished!

Cheers, Tim

I've had good luck going direct, and/or using a combination of direct and a mic'd amp. (The little SWR Workingman's 10 sounds terrific mic'd in the studio, and it also has an XLR out, so it's easy to mix and match.)

But I have to say I think a lot of it depends on the bass.

For something like a P-bass, direct is usually fine, and you can add some low end at the board if needed. My G&L basses are so hot (even in passive mode) that I sometimes need to back the volume off at the instrument, and/or maybe roll off a little low end, just to keep from overloading the signal. (However, it's also been my experience more than once that when the engineer discovers how much signal the G&Ls give him to work with across the spectrum that I get a BIG smile and a "thumbs up" sign.) :cool: Just FWIW, CS :-)

Chris is way right in that it depends on the bass. In my live work (behind the board) I've gotten great tones with active basses into basic direct boxes - especially when the bass player knows what he or she's doing.

I, however, generally dislike active basses. It's a personal peeve, and it's not something I champion over all other things, but with what I own my good recorded bass tones come from a franken-p-bass into a Tech-21 SansAmp BassDI (the old version before the BassDriver) iinto a DBX 163x compressor, and on into my computer.

Compression is something I don't usually like to use a whole lot of when tracking, but basses can often benefit from plenty of color from various sources. I love minimal approaches but what sounds good, sounds good.

I've used an ART Tube MP preamp (sounds okay) and a Yamaha Magic Stomp amp modeler (I think I like it better). I'm gonna try mic-ing my amp rig too, after I get the studio finished!

Cheers, Tim

+1 for the ART Tube MP

I bought the ART Tube MP together with a Condenser mic for recording acoustics, but found out that it works nicely for bass too ...

But, that was with my "old" bass (Ibanez AGB-140) with passive/simple electronics ... My new bass has some fancy onboard pre-amp/EQ which seems to make things a little easier (as in : easier to get a clean/clear sound with a high enough output) ... until the batteries run out :lol:



/J

I usually record direct - with the caveat that the pre has a really good DI and the impedance is the best match.

Once it's tracked, it usually gets a good dose of compression to make it punchy.

Shawn

i used an ART for a good while, until it occurred to me that my POD has a "Tube Preamp" setting ... sounds great for bass and i can add compression at the same time.